


Emily's alive

by RocioWrites



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-13
Updated: 2014-05-13
Packaged: 2018-01-24 13:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1606793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RocioWrites/pseuds/RocioWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Spoilers up until Season 6/beginning of Season 7] Ashley meets Prentiss when she's supposed to be dead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Emily's alive

[Ashley is left stuck in her place when she sees Emily Prentiss walking calmly in the store](http://thezwuzimaster.tumblr.com/post/47059096633/lintu91-ashley-is-left-stuck-in-her-place-when). She resists the urge to pinch herself and instead strides right into the woman’s personal space, not believing her eyes.

“Emily.” She barely whispers and it’s enough to get the brunette’s attention. Emily recognizes immediately the utter perplexity in Ashley’s eyes.

“Hi.”

“How…?” But the question never leaves her mouth, she looks around waiting for something or someone to come and explain her what the hell is happening. “You’re here.” She manages to murmur.

“Yes, I am.” And Emily smiles tenderly, because she knows how crazy this is. Because she  _was_  dead until a few months ago, after all. “Ashley, I…”

“You had a funeral.” She deadpans. And suddenly anger is rising and her chest feels like it’s full of tiny pieces of broken glass, tearing her inside out. “And you’re here now.” 

What comes next is sadness and Ashley’s eyes water. Emily is not sure why the sorrow comes so quickly washing away other feelings, but she’s now with a confused and sad Ashley and she’s not sure how much she can really explain.

“I’m here now, yes.”

“But  _how_?”

“It was…” And she pauses when two men pass by them. “It’s complicated.” She concludes after they’re gone, and the hurt in Ashley’s eyes because she can’t tell her the truth is appaling. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, people say that kind of thing all the time.”

“I mean it.”

“It’s hard to believe it, you have to admit.” Emily nods and it’s not enough, there’s not enough space between the two of them to stop these feelings Ashley has and still, they’re too far away at the same time. She wants to hug her and cry, because  _Emily’s alive_  and she wants to show her all her suffering and anger because  _Emily’s fucking alive._ “Why?” She demands instead.

Emily has no words for this. Everything is too secret and too dangerous to be remembered or explained. She answers nothing.

Ashley makes a great effort to not move, she doesn’t know what’ll happen if she does. Will she hug Emily? Will she punch her? And seriously, all these feelings are making her so crazy right now. And not knowing how she’s in front of a  _dead_  person is making it all the more crazy.

“I’m sorry.” Emily repeats. And Ashley really wants to say  _it’s ok_  but it isn’t. It won’t be. Emily’s phone starts buzzing and they both know, the phonecalls are always the same signal, the same announcement. “I have to go.”

Ashley opens her mouth but after a few moments, closes it again, she won’t say it aloud.  _Not here, not now_. Not when she hasn’t processed this fact just yet. So the blonde nods once, lips in a thin line, hands clenched in fists at her sides.

There are no goodbyes, Ashley walks away before Emily can utter anything. She gets it, she really does. It still hurts though. She died herself too, and this rejection burns too much. She gets it, and still sometimes she finds herself wondering if it would have been better if she had died that night.

**Author's Note:**

> First fic to be uploaded here, it's more like a test than anything. Don't even waste your time telling me this is set a few seasons back, I know, I don't care.


End file.
